Here's the Game: you need to make a major shift, change or re-direction. You need to succeed as quickly as possible. You need to create rapid buy-in and discover ideas for lowering resistance.

We've explored two strategies in previous articles:

Step 1- "Creating a Compelling Vision"
Step 2-"Answering the 'What's in it for me?' Question"
Step 3-Tap into Your Team's Ideas.

Ask your team for their ideas on how to move performance to the next level. Ask your team for their ideas on how to best implement the new direction. Ask your team for ideas to make life easier, with fewer headaches and hassles.

We play the PLUS 10% Game with many teams. We take one small leverage point to begin our focus. Let's pick "ideas for enhancing team communication" or "ideas for cutting cycle-time" or ideas for enhancing "reward and Recognition" for illustrative purposes. Laser in on the topic and spend ten minutes brain storming the team's ideas for performance enhancement possibilities.

Remember to install the "Rules of Brainstorming":

1. There are No Wrong Answers.
At this point in the process, all we want is ideas. No editing, no campaigning, just ideas. Lots of ideas. Anything offered gets put on the idea board.

2. No Fire Hosing.
Fire hosing, you ask? This is the unique group phenomenon where someone anoints themselves as judge, jury and executioner of all ideas and possibilities. A person offers an idea or possibility and the 'judge' recants with: "Oh, that will never work! We tried that 27 years ago. That's the stupidest idea I've ever heard."

The person providing the idea has now been fire hosed and will most likely refuse to play further.

3. Play outside the box, get crazy, have some fun!
This is a fun time. We're brainstorming and the crazy ideas have merit. You'll find nuggets in some of the zaniest ideas. In addition, having fun enhances creativity!

You've now captured a bunch of ideas and possibilities. Your team has had a chance to share their ideas and perspectives on the matter. The benefits are many from this simple process:

1. You'll gain some GREAT ideas to move performance to the next level. In fact, the best ideas I've seen seem to come from the frontline troops. They have a great pulse on life where the rubber meets the road.

2. Your team feels heard. People want to feel they're a part of the solution. They want to feel validated that their ideas count. This is a big return on investment. It took you a solid 15 minutes to conduct the process.

3. Our experience indicates that people seldom pooh-pooh their own ideas. In fact, if it's my idea, I'll put in discretionary effort-that extra PLUS 10% effort to make things work.

4. It reinforces the idea that you're looking for ways to continuously improve the process, enhance the game.

5. It involves the team in looking for on going solutions. Their ideas count, so they'll be on the lookout for further PLUS 10% possibilities.